Favela Tour in Rio de Janeiro
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get a glimpse into local life in Rio de Janeiro during a favela tour that reveals a different side of the Marvelous City. In an intimate group limited to 12 travelers, you’ll explore two of the largest favelas in Rio, and benefit from the local insight of a guide as you learn more about living conditions in the city.
- Gain rare insight into life in a favela during a tour of Rocinhas and Vila Canoas
- A great choice for travelers that have already ticked off top Rio attractions
- Delve deeper into local life in the city
- Hassle-free hotel pickup and drop-off are included
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We can make pick ups from most Hotels/accommodations in the South Zone of Rio. Please indicate the Hotel/place you are staying during your reservation and if your Hotel is not listed please still inform us of your place of stay.
Itinerary
1
Salocin Tour
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Copacabana Beach (Pass By)
Praia do Leblon (Pass By)
Ipanema Beach (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- You will visit Vila Canoas according to weather condition.
- Não operamos tours nos domingos a tarde. Tours sujeitos a quorum minimo para a confirmação final
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 11 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 508 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Kirsten_H, Jun 2026
We had a great time exploring Rochina with Mateo. We were picked up by Mateo and taken to the favela by Uber to meet the rest of the group. We spent plenty of time walking round exploring with Mateo who was very good at explaining anything you wanted to know about Rochina. He is a local & it was great to hear from his experience.
The only thing I would say, this tour advertises taking you to two favelas but we only explored Rochina - it wasn’t an issue for us as we had a great time anyway, just be aware. Also, there is a lot of walking up & down stairs that are quite steep.
Mark_S, Jun 2026
Wow what an experience a gentle introduction to life in the Favelas. Brilliant and knowledgeable guide made us feel safe during the excursion. Would highly recommend this tour.
Thomas_T, Jun 2026
Knowledgeable and friendly, He even gave some guidelines when traveling in Brazil, and told us how to go to next sightseeing spots
KarinaPena, Jun 2026
Marcelo & Mateus were our guides. They were very knowledgeable and very thorough about the history behind the favelas! This tour is eye opening and gave us a different perspective on what the culture at the Favelas is really like.
Renee_M, May 2026
We had a fantastic night with Pedro! Tons of information, brought us to great places and was responsive and interested if we were having a good time at each spot.
I totally recommend and I hope you get Pedro. Really a great guy.
Monica_G, Apr 2026
Be close to the area and people live experience we probably never back
But was good have the experience
Laura_P, Apr 2026
Excellent tour and guide. We saw what life is like in the favellas. Advise - wear bug spray and proper shoes, flip flops aren't the best idea!
Miryam_K, Mar 2026
This was hands down the most impressive tour I had during my travel in Rio. Our tour guide -Mateush - was so knowledgeable and passionate about the topic of life in favelas. His English is excellent too. Ask for this tour guide for the totally unforgettable experience. Thank you, Mateush!
Tina_S, Feb 2026
The tour was interesting but the guide mostly spoke in Italian as majority were Italian and he did very little in English
Tamara_C, Feb 2026
Go for it if you're curious to see how the less fortunate people live. A little bit of culture as you visit the favela. Simon the tour guide was very nice and spoke English, which seems to be rare in Brasil.
KITYING_T, Feb 2026
Don’t go for this trip if you want to have a deep-dive about Rocinha. I wish I have been informed of this. Technically, this trip covers two favelas - Rocinha and Vila Canoas. However, the time spent on each is disproportionate. We only spent like 40 minutes at Rocinha, of which we were asked to spend 30 minutes at a bar with rooftop viewpoint. The guide, Simon, also seems not passionate about the tour. He does not seem to be from the favela and shares little about Rocinha. All he cares about is how to keep his job. While they claimed that they are the “original” favela tour, originality does not mean that they are good. Hugely disappointed.
Hajj_W, Feb 2026
It was very informative. Our host was very knowledgeable and patient. Our driver was kind as well and dropped us off at the hippie market.
Seah_B, Feb 2026
Our english guide who is originally from England and has stayed in brazil for 36 yrs is a fantastic guide. He took care of us and also explained to us the way of life in the favelas. It is completely safe to travel with an organised 3 hr tour....
KANISHK_K, Jan 2026
The tour was amazing, and the guide was extremely helpful, explaining every detail clearly in English and taking great care of each person in the group. He also took some fantastic photos for everyone.
Petrus_K, Jan 2026
Our guide Meilin was very nice and informative. The Favela tour is a must for anyone who has never done it and it is safe (some are not). Gives you a good perspective of what life in the Favelas is about and also gets rid of some preconceived myths. Highly recommended. Be warned - LOTS of stairs to climb though!
Jason_C, Jan 2026
I'm an American and I took this tour in December 2025. Marcello was great and he did the tour in English and Spanish.
Lots of interesting facts and very educational so thank you! They appear to have a pretty established tour route and everybody was nice to us tourists. Marcello even had a key to an empty favela schoolhouse we could tour. One tip, there's more stair climbing than I expected (wear layers).
5-⭐️ and brigado!
Simon_F, Dec 2025
The guide was so informative about the flavelas and took us to amazing places within the district
It gave us such a great insight
Our driver was superb and cared for our safety
So a really great team
rachel_b, Nov 2025
Really informative tour, lovely lady guide who explained the history of favelas and was so helpful with every one’s questions throughout the tour. Would definitely recommend.
Susan_B, Nov 2025
Excellent experience and felt safe in the hands of our driver and tour guide who translated in many different languages. He ensured the safety and whereabouts of all people on the trip - well done.
Susan_B, Nov 2025
This tour is a must whilst in Rio. Our tour guide Mateos (Mat) was a font of knowledge. Any preconceived ideas you have about the favellas this will change them. There is a lot of walking with lots of stairs so wear sensible shoes.
Christine_M, Nov 2025
Very interesting to see the other side of Rio. However, although the tour advertised seeing two favelas, we didn’t really see much of Rochinas. We were dropped at the bottom of the hill and walked to a local bar for 30 mins then we walked back down the hill to the van. A little disappointed.
cvetro87, Nov 2025
Amazing tour right from pick up! Got a firsthand glimpse into favela life and learned what’s true vs not! My only feedback is that we didn’t really need to spend 30 minutes at the first stop - a bar / viewing area. I also was not expecting the “drop off” after the tour to be a subway ride and then having to walk to our hotels.
Monica_B, Oct 2025
Amazing, insightful, humbling. The favella your is a MUST to truly learn Riio. Barbara, our guide, was AMAZING. a true advocate and teacher.
Michaela_S, Oct 2025
It was nice expirience. We could feel the life in favela. The tourguide Simon was very friendly. The view from the top of favela was amazing.
Neil_D, Oct 2025
The tour provided a good way to visit favelas in Rio de Janeiro. The tour included Rocinha, a large one, and Vila Canoas, a smaller one. The tour guide was informative.
Mariam_M, Oct 2025
the guid was nice, he took lots of pictures of everyone one the and he shared a lot of info !! + they picked us p at the hotel !
Doris_K, Oct 2025
The tour was very well organized. The mix between walking, viewing and receiving interesting information is excellent.
John_J, Oct 2025
Couldn’t recommend highly enough, Barbara was so knowledgable and made the group feel like they were in such safe hands. She not only gave so many interesting facts about the favela, but also seemed to know loads of locals that she would say hi to while we were walking around. Don’t hesitate to bring your phone to the favela as well, plenty of great photo opportunities (Barbara highlighted the couple of streets not to take photos at as well) and definitely safe to have phone on your possession. Thanks a million for the tour!
SCOT_M, Sep 2025
Barbara was knowledgeable and passionate about her tour.
Very helpful and clear with herchistory and local knowledge .
We felt safe and well looked after .
Julia_P, Sep 2025
Very good tour with a great guide Marcelo! It was extremely interesting to see this side of Rio and we would recommend a favela tour to anyone visiting Rio! We just wish it was a little longer where we saw more elements of the favela.
From $33.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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